Here's the Bills news of note for Aug. 3rd.
**1 - Streater happy with his training camp so far
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During the John Murphy Show this week, Rod Streater stated that he's in a serious battle at training camp. The veteran wide receiver comes into camp with a chance to earn a roster spot, but he will have to perform well to find his way onto the team. Here's what he had to say.
"You have to take every rep you get seriously, because they will evaluate every rep you get equally, whether you're a year one, year six, or year 10," said Streater. "As a receiver, you have to go out there and catch the ball, run fast, block, and play special teams. Every rep is crucial, and that's my mindset, and in these stages, go out there and make outstanding plays to get the coaches to see my number on tape."
Rod Streater has had an up and down career in the NFL. Entering his sixth year in the league, Streater has spent most of his career with the Oakland Raiders. His first two years in the league were his best by far. In his second season with the Raiders, he played in 16 games and had 60 catches for 888 yards and four touchdown.
The past three years haven't been as productive. In his last two years in Oakland, he played in a combined four games, as he was pushed down the depth chart due to added talent. Streater played for the San Francisco 49ers last season, where appeared in 16 games with limited productivity.
Streater has certainly impressed so far in camp. He has seemingly moved up the depth chart, as he took second team snaps on Tuesday. The veteran receiver has lived up to his words, and has taken advantage of every rep.
2 - White still adjusting to life in the NFL
Tre'Davious White has been one of the most impressive Bills at training camp this year. However, there are still some lessons he's learning. During an interview on Bills flagship station WGR Sportsradio 550 on the Howard Simon show, White explained what he's still adjusting to the NFL. Here’s what he had to say.
"Just how smart the receivers are," said White. "You got to mix it up a fair amount because those guys are smart and they study film way more than you may think. You just got to try and outsmart the guy and be technically sound. I feel like I've been doing a great job of mixing things up and being technically sound. You know, pretty much just being in the film room, and watching film, and asking coach how I should play different things."
White has gained the praise of coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier during camp. Although White has played above expectations, there is still a learning curve for rookies. White has said previously that he's happy he gets to match-up against Sammy Watkins, as it gives him an opportunity to see what the best receivers in the league are like.
White has also caught the attention of ProFootball Focus, who recently named White the rookie to watch on the Bills. They stated that his 12 pass break-ups were third in the country last season. Further, he had the highest coverage grade out of all the cornerbacks in the 2017 draft.
Despite the learning curve, White has shown that he could certainly be a special cornerback at the NFL level.
3 - Taylor hosted receivers for workouts before camp
NewYorkUpstate.com reported that Tyrod Taylor organized workouts for several of the Bills receivers before the start of training camp. Taylor hosted the receivers at his home in Atlanta, as they prepared for training camp. Here’s what Taylor had to say.
"I just wanted to get a bunch of time working on stuff that we may not be able to get to in practice, and also just get on the same page heading into camp and make sure we don't take any steps back," said Taylor. "We finished out on a good note in the spring and wanted to continue to be building off that and make sure there was no step back in training camp."
The Bills receiving corps experienced a fair bit of turnover this offseason. With the departure of Robert Woods, Marquise Goodwin and Justin Hunter, the Bills had to rebuild their wide receiver depth. The Bills did this by signing Andre Holmes and Corey Brown, and drafting Zay Jones.
This rebuilt unit needed as much time as possible to work with their new quarterback. In offensive coordinator Rick Dennison's offense, many of the routes are based off timing. This means extra drills and practice are paramount in developing an effective offense. Above all, the workout Taylor organized shows his leadership and drive to win in the NFL.
